Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 April 2014
115. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if contact has been made by his Department with South Dublin County Council in respect of the future local authority accommodation needs in Tallaght, Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18158/14]
View answerHousing authorities are responsible for the assessment of social housing need within their administrative areas and for the compilation of strategies and programmes which optimise the delivery of social housing having regard to the resources available across the full range of measures supported by my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP). It is a matter for individual authorities to prioritise the housing projects to be advanced under each of these measures.
My Department liaises closely with all housing authorities in determining the annual allocations under the SHIP. In the case of South Dublin County Council, allocations under the local authority housing construction and acquisitions programme and the voluntary housing programme, amounting to €5.925 million and €1.229 million respectively, were notified to the Council in February.
The financial parameters within which we continue to operate will not facilitate a return to large-scale capital funded construction programmes. Earlier this year, I signalled a return to modest levels of new social housing construction with an announcement of 1,000 new housing starts over the 2014-2015 period. Based on the submission received from South Dublin County Council, an allocation of €3.406 million was approved on 11 March in respect of three projects, including the construction of 3 new houses at Belgard Road, Tallaght and 10 houses at Suncroft, Tallaght.
On Budget Day 2014, I announced details of a new measure with funding of €15 million which will be invested in bringing some 400 vacant and boarded-up local authority houses back into productive use. My Department is currently assessing the proposals recently received from local authorities under this programme, including proposals for some 40 houses in South Dublin. I will announce details of the funding allocations as soon as possible.
I also intend to announce details shortly of the allocations to local authorities under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme for the construction and acquisition of housing for persons with specific categories of need over the 2014-2015 period. Some €35 million is being set aside for this programme which is intended to deliver in the region of 230 new homes.
My Department, the Housing Agency and NAMA continue to work together with housing authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) towards bringing suitable NAMA units into social use and to ensure continued delivery of housing units for social purposes. AHB’s will also play a key role in the delivery of social housing, particularly, having regard to their capacity to attract external financial investment. It continues to be my objective to maximise the delivery of social housing using all of the resources available.
At the end of February 2014, the Social Housing Leasing Initiative (SHLI) has delivered over 4,700 (4,736) nationally housing units for social housing purposes. Of these, 463 are in the South Dublin County Council area. A further 159 units in South Dublin have been approved for inclusion in SHLI. In addition, repayable capital advances in the form of the Capital A Advanced Leasing Facility (CALF), are available to AHBs to support the acquisition of new units for social housing purposes. Funding of some €3.3 million has been approved by my Department under CALF, to provide social housing in the South Dublin County Council area.
